Suspect in Murder of Kansas Mom and Abduction of Her Infant Says Victim Reneged on Agreement to Gift Baby

The suspect in the alleged murder of a Kansas woman and the abduction of her six-day-old daughter allegedly admitted to the crimes in a jailhouse interview — but claimed the victim had promised to give her the newborn before changing her mind.

In a Spanish interview conducted from a Dallas jailhouse, Yesenia Sesmas told Spanish language channel KUVN-TV of Dallas-Fort Worth that she had a pact with Laura Abarca-Nogueda to take her infant daughter, according to the Associated Press. However, she said Abarca-Nogueda reneged on the agreement at the last moment.

Sesmas also admitted to accidentally killing the 27-year-old mother, an longtime acquaintance, when she threatened her with a gun and it discharged by mistake.

GoFundMe

Sesmas, 34, was arrested in Dallas on Saturday following a two-day, multi-state search for newborn Sophia Gonzales, who was allegedly kidnapped after her mother was fatally shot in her Wichita, Kansas, home Thursday.

Wichita police Lt. Todd Ojile said at a press conference on Monday that Sesmas allegedly faked a pregnancy in the months leading up to the alleged crimes.

Sesman has not yet entered a plea. It is unclear whether Sesman has an attorney or if she will be extradited back to Kansas. At the press conference, Ojile told reporters the Sedgwick County district attorney’s office is scheduled to review the case on Friday.

• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.

Wichita police responding to reports of gunshots on Thursday arrived to find Abarca-Nogueda fatally shot in her home. A search was launched immediately for baby Sophia, who was discovered in Sesman’s Dallas home after an anonymous tip late Friday night, Ojile said. Sophia, who police said appeared to be unharmed, was returned to her family Saturday afternoon.

You May Like

Read More

Stay in the Know

Subscribe to PEOPLE’s newsletters so you never miss out on a must-read story